emblem
\EM-bluhm\
noun
1. an object or its representation, symbolizing a quality, state, class of persons, etc.; symbol: The olive branch is an emblem of peace.
2. a sign, design, or figure that identifies or represents something: the emblem of a school.
Quotes
But instead of joining the former Paris prison as an emblem of a decisive break with the past, Mr. Yanukovych’s palatial residence, tennis courts, golf course, personal zoo, helicopter pad and acres of landscaped gardens are now “a symbol of our state’s inability to function normally,” Mr. Syrotiuk said.
-- Andrew Higgins, "Ukraine Palace Is Still Emblem of Dysfunction," New York Times, September 8, 2014
Origin
Emblem entered English in the 1400s from the Latin emblēma meaning "inlaid or mosaic work," and ultimately derives from the Greek émblēma meaning "something put on."
Dictionary.com
